Напольная акустика — Klipsch KLIPSCHORN AK6

The Klipschorn AK6 is a Heritage series tower from Klipsch in which all three ways are horn-loaded. Paul W. Klipsch designed and hand-built the first Klipschorn in a small tin shed in Hope, Arkansas in 1946, and Klipsch describes it as the only speaker in the world in continuous production for over 70 years. The AK6 enclosure is still made in Hope, and Klipsch calls it the only fully horn-loaded loudspeaker available to consumers.

Key specs that matter

Frequency response is 33 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 4 dB. Sensitivity is 105 dB at 2.83 V and 1 m, quoted for a typical listening space, at a nominal 8 ohm. Power handling is 100 W continuous and 400 W peak, and maximum output is 121 dB continuous. The crossover divides the range at 450 Hz and 4.5 kHz. Each speaker is 134.62 cm high, 79.38 cm wide and 71.75 cm deep and weighs 100 kg.

Engineering and use context

Every driver is coupled to its own horn and optimised for its pass-band, which Klipsch says makes the system 10 to 20 times more efficient than conventional loudspeakers. The tweeter is the K-771, a neodymium compression driver with a light 1 inch polyimide diaphragm and copper clad aluminum voice coil, rated on its own at 109 dB and mated to a 90 x 40 degree Tractrix horn. Its phase plug extends the top-end response. The midrange is the K-55-X compression driver with a 2 inch phenolic diaphragm on an exponential horn. Bass comes from a K-33-E 15 inch fiber-composite cone woofer loaded by a trihedral exponential folded horn. That low frequency horn has been redesigned and is now fully enclosed, so the speaker only needs to be near the corner rather than pushed tightly into it. The enclosure is built from over a hundred panels of birch plywood and MDF and sits on a riser base that hides speaker cables. Veneers are book-matched, pairs are grain-matched with sequential serial numbers, and the spec sheet lists Satin Black Ash, American Walnut and Natural Cherry with silver metallic grille cloth. The Heritage warranty runs 10 years.

Pairing

An aluminum input panel with dual binding posts accepts large cables and lets owners bi-wire or bi-amp the passive network. With such high sensitivity, even a few watts produce substantial output, so single-ended valve amplifiers of low power are a practical match.

Alternatives

The Klipsch Jubilee offers a two-way all-horn Heritage tower with dual 12 inch woofers, a 7 inch titanium compression driver and an external active DSP crossover.